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Name:
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MartiniMan
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Subject:
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We agree totally
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Date:
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3/14/2009 8:01:44 AM
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You and I are on the same wavelength about this. To be clear, the 40% is working people who pay no federal income taxes. Everyone who works pays FICA, medicare, sales tax and most pay some state and local taxes.
This is where I once again drive home the point that most government should be at the local level where it can be held accountable more readily by their constituents and has a vested interst in the outcome of their decisions (i.e., they live in the same place). Local control also gives people more flexibility to move out of a poorly run locality without uprooting their lives. For example, even though I could afford to live in Fulton County I choose to live in Cobb county because its local goverment is much better and taxes are much lower. Before the depression and certainly before LBJ's great society most government was local. Unfortunately FDR and LBJ used a crisis or perceived crisis to increase the power of the federal government, often telling us these were only temporary measures which in time became entitlements. To be perfectly truthful, the change really went all the way back to the Civil War which was about federalism versus states rights as well as the elimination of slavery (and this coming from a d**m Yankee).
I am at war so to speak with the size and intrusiveness of the federal government and strongly believe it should be limited in both its scope and size. It is neither efficient nor effective at many things and should therefore be limited.
I also believe in the social safety net but I think you would agree that it has gotten entirely out of control. That safety net in my view should begin with family first (for example, my Mom only has social security so she lives with my family. I am grateful to be able to do that for her and believe it is my duty as does my wife). Where family is unable or unwilling then local churches and other charities step in. Where those fail or are unable then local and state governments. Finally, for the very few that fall through those cracks there may be a limited role for the federal government. This is admittedly an imperfect system but it is the most effective and efficient as history has shown us over and over.
Unfortunately, voters have been all too willing to cede too much power to the federal government. And why do you think Obama is proposing to destroy private charities by eliminating tax deductibility? The family is mostly gone due to destructive social policies (especially the black family) and now he wants to destroy private charity. He already knows local governments don't have the money to pick up where charities stop so all that is left is the federal government. Is it any wonder that study after study show that conservatives are overwhelmingly more generous and donate more to charity than self identified liberals? It is so much easier for them, and in fact they are smug about it, to spout class envy and propose ever higher taxes on the rich.
So liberals always mean well with their desire for ever increasing reliance on the federal government, unfortunately they do so with great damage to the fabric of our society and our long-term economic well being. We don't want to become like Europe in this regard because by every measure our way of life is better. Well, maybe the French have some better wines and the beer and struedel is better in Germany......
Sorry about the tome but you have engaged me on something I am passionate about and read, study and think a lot about. By the way, I did this one at home on an early Saturday morning. Hope you get lots of rain at the lake!
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